Tape holder for telegraphic tape



Sept. 10, 1963 FIG, I

INVENTORS ALFRED Z. PURZYCKI NORMAN D. SARGENT BY ATTORNE United States Patent 3,103,279 TAPE HOLDER FOR TELEGRAPHIC TAPE Alfred Z. Purzycki and Norman D. Sargent, Mount Prospect, 11]., assignors to Teletype Corporation, Skokie, 111., a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 3, 1961, Ser. No; 80,289 2 Claims. (Cl. 21145) This invention relates to a tape holding device for telegraphic tape and more particularly to a tape holding device for holding a plurality of perforated tapes while awaiting transmission at a telegraph switching center.

During peak hours of telegraph transmission messages are received at a very rapid rate in a switching center and are frequently stored by perforating the message in a tape for later transmission during off-peake traffic hours. It is customary to tear off this tape containing the message and carry it to a transmitter position Where, in due course, it will be placed in a transmitter for retransmission.

An object of the invention is to receive and hold an end of a flexible web and to afford easy withdrawal of the web.

Another object of the invention is to receive and hold a leading end of a flexible web and to afford easy withdrawal in a forward direction.

Another object of the invention is to preclude accidental slipping of the web from the held position.

Another object of the invention is to hold a flexible web in such manner that withdrawal of the web in a forward direction requires .the application of significantly smaller force than withdrawal in the reverse direction.

The invention features a plurality of parallel rods spaced apart sufiieiently to permit insertion of a web between any two rods.

The invention also features the provision of bristles spanning the space between adjacent rods to engage and grip an inserted web.

The invention also features an oblique presentation of the bristles for guiding the free end of a web inserted between adjacent rods.

The invention features the provision of apertures in the rods at their ends and intermediate the ends, those at the ends relatively closely engaging vertical retaining pins which prevent endwise and rotational movement of the rods and other apertures dimensioned and aligned to receive and loosely cooperate with vertical retaining pms.

The invention consists of a plurality of spaced horizontal rods in which are secured obliquely disposed brushes for spanning the space between adjacent rods and for guiding and holding the leading end of a web as it is inserted in the space between adjacent rods. The rods are mounted in a backing plate and are spaced from one another by washer-like spacers. Vertical pins extend through oversized holes in the rods and through the holes in the washer-like spacers to hold the rods in aligned relationship within the back plate. Slots at the ends of the rods, which are closely dimensioned to the diameter of the pins, serve to prevent rotation and endwise movement of the rods within the back plate. The back plate is attached to a frame that has a series of spaced rectangular openings in its frontface through which the leading ends of the tapes extend while being held for later withdrawal. These rectangular openings divide the rods longitudinally and cooperate with the spaced rods to create a grid work for holding the tapes according to station and chronological sequence of transmission. That is, each of the rectangular openings may be designated for a particular transmitter and for holding only those messages to be transmitted by that transmitter, and the messages may be inserted between adjacent rods in a 3,103,279 Patented Sept. 10, 1963 ice vertical sequence as they are received so that the first in message will be the first out message.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detail description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. -1 is a perspective-view of tape holder according to the'present invention in which a portion of the frame has been broken away to show more clearly some structural features of the holder;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of'FlG. 1 in the direction of the arrows to show the parts for holding the bristles in a tape engaging position;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmental perspective view of a rod showing the relationships of the bristles and pins to the rod.

Referring now to the drawings, reference at this time being made to FIG. 1, it will be seen that a frame 10, which is adapted to be mounted on a telegraph transmitter cabinet (not shown), has a plurality of apertures 11 formed in its face.

Constructed for easy securernent within and removal from the frame 10 is a backing plate 12 that is secured to and held in position on the frame 10 by screws 21 and nuts 22. To insure a tight fit of the backing plate 12 with the frame 11) at points spaced from the screws 21 and nuts 22, the backing plate 12 is formed with a slight convex curvature that is straightened out as the screws 21 and nuts 22 are tightened to bring the slightly flared ends of the backing plate 12 into tight engagement with the frame 10. The backing plate 12 has apertures' of similar configurations to those of the apertures 11 in the frame 10'so that these apertures will be aligned with the apertures 11 when the backing plate 12 is secured to the frame 11 Thus, a tape may be inserted through the selected aperture in the backing plate 12 and into and forwardly through the correct aperture in the frame 10 because of this alignment.

To hold the free end of the perforated tape, a plurality of rods 13 are individually provided with a row of short bristles '14 which extend downwardly and forwardly as shown in FIG. 2. To align the bristles in rods 13 in parallel positions within the backing plate 12, holes 15 are drilled through the rods 13 at an angle to the bristles 14 and pins 18 are inserted into the holes 15 in the rods 13. To permit easy assembly and dis-assembly and alignment of the rods .13 one with another, the holes 1'5 are drilled oversize so that the pins 18 can readily be inserted through these oversize holes 15 even though the holes 15 are not in perfect vertical alignment, thereby eliminating any tolerance accumulation which might tend to prevent the insertion of the pins 18. The pins 18 are held from movement through holes in the upper and lower flanges 17 of the backing plate 12 by retainers 23. Each of the rods 13 has a slot 16 at each end which is parallel to the taxes of the holes 15 and which is of a smaller cross-section than the diameter of the holes 15 in the rods 13'. Plus 18 at the ends of the rods 13 are disposed in the slots 16 for precluding endwise movement and for accurately holding the rods '13 in non-rotative alignment.

For properly spacing adjacent rods 13 and the bristles 14 on any rod 13 from the next adjacent rod, spacers 19 are disposed between adjacent rods 13 and are held in position by the pins 18 extending through a center aperturein the spacers 19.

In operation of the tape holder, a torn-tape is inserted from the rear of the frame .10 through the selected aperture in the backing plate 12, bet-ween the parallel rods 13, and outwardly through the correct aperture 11 in the frame-10, this sequence of movement being from right to left in FIG. 2. Only a short portion of the tape extends outwardly from the front of the tape holder and the long remaining portion of the tape extends downwardly behind the backing plate 12; The force of gravity acting on the large amount of tape extending rearwardly of the backing plate 12 will exert a pull on the tape to move it in a retrograde direction; i.e., pull the inserted end back through the tape holder. Some of the bristles 14 on the rods 13 :Will frictionally engage the nonperforated portions of the tape and others of the bristles will enter the perforations of. the tape and positively hold the tape against this unwanted retrograde movement. Because the bristles 14 extend forwardly, they do not interfere with the insertion of the free end of the flexible tape bet-ween adjacent rods even though the free end of the tape bends easily.

Although only one embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawings and described in the foregoing specification it will be understood the invention is not limited to the specific embodiment described but is capable of modification and rearrangement and substitution of parts and elements without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for holding a plurality of fullyperforated tapes awaiting transmission at a telegraph switching center comprising a frame having a plurality of tape receiving apertures therein, a backing plate secured to said frame and having a plurality of apertures aligned with the apertures in said frame, a plurality of parallel rods disposed in said backing plate and each having a plurality of holes drilled therethro-ugh intermediate its ends and also having slots cut in each end parallel to the axes of said holes, said slots having a smaller cross-section than the diameter of the holes in said rods, a row of bristles secured to said rods extending in a downwardly and forwardly direction, the end portions of said bristles extending below the upper surface of a rod next adjacent thereto and forming a narrowing tape entry slot with said next adjacent rod, a plurality of vertical pins of a diameter substantially the size of said slots inserted in said holes and slots to align said rods,-and spacers between adjacent rods to space said rods from one another to permit insertion of said tapes between adjacent rods.

2. An apparatus for holding a plurality of torn flexible perforated tapes in designated posit-ions comprising a frame having a plurality of spaced vertical members, a plurality of horizontal rods held one above another in spaced relationship by said frame, said vertical members and said rods being arranged in a grid-like manner, rows of bristle tufts secured to said rods and canted downwardly and forwardly toward the next adjacent tower rod, the canted bristle tutts of a rod and the curving surface of the rod next below said first-mentioned rod forming a narrowing entry slot for the free end of a perforated tape and the bristle tufts wipingly engaging the tape as it moves forward and Wipingly engaging the tape and entering any perforations therein when the tape moves in a retrograde movement, said tufts bending upward during a forward movement and bending downward and backward to engage the tape to press it against the rod next below during retrograde movement of the tape.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,218,103 Moiiat Mar. 6, 1917 1,314,625 Wedin Sept. 2, 1919 1,831,700 Blanchard Nov. 10, 1931 1,893,518 Gilligan Jan. 10, 1933 2,294,527 Weiss Sept. 1, 1942 2,633,995 Edelhei-t Apr. 7, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 14,662 Denmark of 1911 791,481 Great Britain of 1958 

1. AN APPARATUS FOR HOLDING A PLURALITY OF FULLY PERFORATED TAPES AWAITING TRANSMISSION AT A TELEGRAPH SWITCHING CENTER COMPRISING A FRAME HAVING A PLURALITY OF TAPE RECEIVING APERTURES THEREIN, A BACKING PLATE SECURED TO SAID FRAME AND HAVING A PLURALITY OF APERTURES ALIGNED WITH THE APERTURES IN SAID FRAME, A PLURALITY OF PARALLEL RODS DISPOSED IN SAID BACKING PLATE AND EACH HAVING A PLURALITY OF HOLES DRILLED THERETHROUGH INTERMEDIATE ITS ENDS AND ALSO HAVING SLOTS CUT IN EACH END PARALLEL TO THE AXES OF SAID HOLES, SAID SLOTS HAVING A SMALLER CROSS-SECTION THAN THE DIAMETER OF THE HOLES IN SAID RODS, A ROW OF BRISTLES SECURED TO SAID RODS EXTENDING IN A DOWNWARDLY AND FORWARDLY DIRECTION, THE END PORTIONS OF SAID BRISTLES 